The South African Journal of Animal Science is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. The journal publishes reports of research dealing with the production of farmed animal species (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, poultry and ostriches), as well as pertinent aspects of research on companion animals and aquatic and wildlife species. All submitted articles are subjected to a single-blind peer review process that is managed by a section editor under the supervision of the editor-in-chief. Copyright of a published article resides with the authors. Such articles will be published as open access content and be covered by the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 South African Licence. Users may copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the work, but must recognise the authors and the South African Journal of Animal Science.
Originally supported by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), the South African Journal of Animal Science moved online in the early 2000s using a custom-built manuscript submission and editorial management system. In August 2025, the journal transitioned to the Public Knowledge Project’s Open Journal Systems (PKP OJS), hosted by Khulisa Journals at the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).
In line with international best practices, the journal integrates key components of digital research infrastructure, including DOIs (digital object identifiers), ORCID iDs (researcher identifiers), ROR IDs (research organisation identifiers), and CCLs (Creative Commons Licences), ensuring transparency, traceability, and global interoperability.
As of August 2025, the South African Journal of Animal Science makes use of the Crossref 10.17159 DOI prefix. View the journal metadata health and the Crossref DOI Conflict Report here.
If you experience any problems with the journal’s online platform, please contact the editor-in-chief at [email protected].
Clarivate Journal Impact Factor (2024): 0.6 (Q4 of subject category)
Clarivate Journal Citation Indicator (2024): 0.26
Scopus CiteScore (2024): 1.4
Post-weaning growth and veal production from dairy bull calves receiving different combinations of soybean flour, whey powder an
Five groups of seven Friesian bull calves received different combinations of soybean flour (5), whey powder 0N), and preserved colostrum (C) until weaning at 30 days of age. A complete diet was available ad lib. from 4 days of age…
The effect of anhydrous ammoniation on the nutritive value of whole oat grain
Treatment of oat grain by anhydrous ammonia at levels of approximately 0,75; 1,5 and 3,0% was investigated. Diets consisting of untreated oat grain and oat grain ammoniated for 24 hours at 90°C in an AN-STRA-VERTER® -oven at the respective treatment…
Gars as alternatiewe energiebron vir mielies in diëte vir groeiende varke
Barley as an alternative energy source for maize in diets for growing pigs. Barley was evaluated as an alternative energy source for maize in diets for growing pigs in a digestion and growth trial. Chemical composition of various barley samples…
Synchronization of oestrus in the Boer goat doe: The response to the use of intravaginal progestagen and PMSG
The effect of different periods (12, 14, 16 or 18 days) of intravaginal progestagen treatment (MAP) and PMSG (300 IU) on synchronization of oestrus in Boer goat does was investigated. No significant difference in oestrous response, follicular activity, ovulation rate,…
Die melkproduksievermoë van die Veredelde Boerbok in ’n gras-/bosgemeenskap (Kort mededeling)
The milk production ability of the Improved Boer goat in a grass/bush community. Boer goat does from the Adelaide Research Farm were run on the dry grass/bush community of the eastern Cape . An investigation was undertaken to determine the…
Testicular compensation in Nguni (Bos indicus, Sanga) bulls with unilateral gonadal hypoplasia and aplasia (Short communication)
The testosterone response to gonadotropins in Nguni bulls with unilateral gonadal hypoplasia and aplasia was studied. Despite having one grossly affected or totally absent testis, the residual testicular tissue was found to be able to maintain a normal basal serum…
Fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and kidney fat depots of Boer goats and the response to varying levels of maize meal (Sho
The proportion of eight fatty acids( 14:01, 6:0,1 6:1, 17:0, 17:1,18:01,8 :1and 18:2) was measured in the subcutaneous and kidney fat depots of five groups of Boer goat castrates which had been kept for 90 days on one of five…
Advances in intensive ruminant nutrition
Of the many advances in ruminant nutrition made in recent times the change from dilute roughage-based feeds to highly concentrated grain-rich diets has probably had the greatest single impact on ruminants and on their rate of production. This change has…
Some frontiers of research in basic ruminant nutrition
The primary objective of research scientists working in the field of rumen function is to advance animal production through greater understanding of the mechanisms involved in digestion and metabolism in the rumen. This article covers some of the more recent…
Onlangse ontwikkeling op die gebied van ruvoervoorsiening aan herkouers
Roughage feeding of ruminants - new developments. This article is mainly limited to developments in improving the utilization of cereal straws by ruminants. Scanning electron microscopic studies have been applied in the study of the rate of roughage fermentation in…
Application of modern nutrition principles in poultry
Considerable savings can be realized and performance can be improved by formulating poultry feeds based on the daily feed intake and nutrient needs of the chicken. Programmes have been developed for commercial layers, broiler breeders, and replacement pullets for commercial…
The application if the principles of nutrition to the feeding of breeding sows and the production of meat from growing pigs
The causal relationship between feed supply and fat and lean growth is critical to effective determination of optimum feed supply to growing pigs. Although excessive fatness may be controlled by reducing feed intake, in early growth appetite limitation is such…
Vooruitgang op die gebied van reproduksie-fisiologie
Advances in reproductive physiology. Reproductive physiology plays an important role in the genetic improvement and increasing the fertility of the cow. The following factors which have an important influence on increasing the fertility of the female animal are discussed: Selection…
Biological effects on the quality of red meat with special reference to South African conditions
Several biologically dependent quality characteristics of meat (appearance and palatability) have been researched extensively in South Africa and some of these findings are discussed briefly in this article. Sound production and management practices may be used to manipulate the many…
Biologiese invloede op die kwaliteit van suiwelprodukte
Biological influences on the quality of dairy products. An analysis of the consumption pattern of dairy products shows that an increasing percentage of fresh milk is being diverted to the manufacturing industry for processing and that there is an increasing…
The manipulation of egg size and egg quality
In this article the contribution which geneticists can make to egg quality i.e. eggmass, shell thickness, and albumen height is examined. Factors which the poultryman can manipulate on the farm such as the choice of a lighting system, dietary modification,…
Biological influences on the quality properties of wool
Although only 3,9% of the total world wool production is produced here, South Africa is well known for the high quality of its wool and its classing. In this article quality differences of a biological nature are identified (breeding, feeding…
Biologiese faktore wat die gehalte van sybokhaar beïnvloed
Biological factors that influence the quality of mohair. The influence of the most desirable properties (fineness, length, style, character and lustre) on the price of mohair is discussed briefly. Biological factors such as age, nutrition, genetics, sex, and stress and…
Protein, energy and phosphorus supplementation of cattle fed low-quality forage
The effect of protein, energy and phosphorus supplements, fed individually or in various combinations, on roughage intake and livemass change was measured in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions…
A laboratory assessment of various treatment conditions affecting the ammoniation of wheat straw by urea. 2. The effect of physi
The effect of physical form, moisture level and prolonged treatment period on the ammoniation of wheat straw using 75 9 urea per kg wheat straw was investigated in a 2 x 3 x 6 factorial experiment. Physical form was represented…
